velotric discovery1

johnek

Member
I just received one. It only has fixed speed level 1, 2, 3. If you put itiin level one and turn the pedals at any speed, it immediately goes at full acceleration to 12 mph. _(
 
Lots of the cheap ones are like that. Read through the Aventon "known problems & solutions" thread under brand forum.
If I rode 11 mph (my first ebikeling controller in PAS1) on rutted State Hwy 3 berm, I would be chin to pavement 3 or 4 times every time I rode.
 
I just received mine yesterday and put it together last night.

Per a pre-sale e-mail conversation I had with Velotric, the latest batch of bike come equipped with a different computer providing 5 level of PAS as well as hydraulic disc brakes. The one I received is one of those. Missing is the rear rack, but I suppose they needed to cut costs somewhere to maintain the price.

Since it was quite dark when I got around to trying it out, I rode only about 0.1 miles. The bike indeed has 5 levels of PAS, although I don't know for sure what the increase in assist is between them. It doesn't appear as that can be changed.

Once I get more miles on it I will give a better update.

Johnek, Velotric offers to pay for return shipping within 14 days and 10 miles. Perhaps you could negotiate an exchange for a bike with these upgrades?
 
When I got mine they wanted 200 for the return. Do me a favor and send me a copy of your email with them. johnekaes at yahoo. I punish the guilty.
 
Thoughts on my Discover 1:

Here are my thoughts after assembling the bike and riding it about 5 miles.

I really like the bike. It seems well made and rides well. It has plenty of power for the riding I do. Maybe someday I get something more expensive but overall, I am pleased with what I got for the money I spent. I may need to invest in an adjustable handlebar stem since the bars are little low for me (6’3”).

Regarding the unboxing video on the Velotric website…Fahggetaboutit! Nothing about that box resembles the one I received other than the overall shape. It was a bit of a struggle to get the bike out of the box. In retrospect, I should have laid the box on its side, opened and folded back the bottom flaps of the box, then stood the box upright again. This way, I could have lifted the box off the bike, rather than trying to lift the bike out of the box. The glossy printed Quick Start Guide has some quirky sentences, such as, “d. squeeze is misspelled the wheel to inspect the squeez sound until the squeez sound is resolved.” (Actual wording and spelling).

I am mechanically inclined but assembly was more complicated than I anticipated. I needed to do a lot of little things that were already done on a different e-bike I recently purchased. Things like attaching the bell, computer, and front light. It didn’t help that the fork was put on backwards. (At this point let me say that Velotric’s customer support is very good and responsive. Being unfamiliar with the fork’s stem, I emailed them and received a response in a few minutes, including a promise of a reimbursement if I needed to take the bike to a shop to have the fork turned around). Fortunately, I was able to fix the problem myself and finished assembling the bike.

Regarding the bike itself: It is really a nice-looking bike. We got the cyan color. The fenders are black plastic, which is both good and bad. They won’t rattle, but I question how durable they are. The headlight is super bright; it is almost blinding when looking directly at it. One bonus is the taillight, which was not included in the list of features.

I have the most recent version with hydraulic disc brakes and the computer with 5 PAS levels. Here are the approximate speeds (mph) at the PAS levels using the throttle: 1 = 8.5, 2 = 10.5, 3 = 14, 4 = 17.2, 5 = 20.1.

One concern I have about the PAS is there is no sensitivity adjustment. On the other e-bike I have, you can adjust how many degrees of pedal revolution needs to occur before the motor kicks in. Not so with the Discover 1. As soon as you start pedaling the motor accelerates very fast. It seems there is no slow ramping, and certainly no way to adjust it. I can see where this could be a hazard. For example, let’s say you’re in PAS level 3, come to a stop, and you need to turn left. As soon as you start pedaling, the bike will want to take you up to the aforementioned 14mph. That may be way too fast to turn safely depending on the road or path you are on. Unfortunately, there is no way to change this behavior in the computer. My riding habits will need to change: I can turn the PAS to 0 when I come to a stop, or slightly squeeze the brake lever to shut off the motor while make sharp turns.

Some previous owners commented that the mechanical brakes were just OK. I am a newbie when it comes to disc brakes on bikes, but the hydraulic ones work very well. I can lock up the tires when going 20 miles an hour. Not sure if that is a valid test, but it tells me the brakes work!

Others commented on the quality of the fork. It seems fine to me, but I have only ridden on paved roads.

Hope you find this useful.
 
Once again someone buys a bike that has "pedal assist" but does not know what that really is. My first ebike, a giant mountain bike from about 2010 had only a candence sensor but rode like a torque sensor. You pedaled and it helped by adding torque to make it easier to pedal. You could ride and any speed with some assistance. It did not go at full accel to any speed. These bikes really have only cruise control.
 
BTW, I find this bike well made and really like it mechanically. I am in the process of replacing the controller and turning into a real bike. will let you know how it is when I'm done and what it cost.
 
I have the most recent version with hydraulic disc brakes and the computer with 5 PAS levels. Here are the approximate speeds (mph) at the PAS levels using the throttle: 1 = 8.5, 2 = 10.5, 3 = 14, 4 = 17.2, 5 = 20.1.

One concern I have about the PAS is there is no sensitivity adjustment. On the other e-bike I have, you can adjust how many degrees of pedal revolution needs to occur before the motor kicks in. Not so with the Discover 1. As soon as you start pedaling the motor accelerates very fast. It seems there is no slow ramping, and certainly no way to adjust it. I can see where this could be a hazard. For example, let’s say you’re in PAS level 3, come to a stop, and you need to turn left. As soon as you start pedaling, the bike will want to take you up to the aforementioned 14mph. That may be way too fast to turn safely depending on the road or path you are on. Unfortunately, there is no way to change this behavior in the computer. My riding habits will need to change: I can turn the PAS to 0 when I come to a stop, or slightly squeeze the brake lever to shut off the motor while make sharp turns.

I had sent a few questions to Velotric and they stated that the Discovery 1 currently being shipped in the USA has 5 levels of PAS and uses torque sensing. Did your bike come with torque or cadence sensor PAS?

Also, I’m interested if anyone at or slightly over 6’ tall has ridden the Step Through model of this bike. I’m wondering if it is roomy enough for someone who rides 58cm road and gravel bikes. I tried the Aventon Level and found it to feel a bit cramped, I mean I could ride it but I wouldn’t be quite as excited about going for a ride on it as I would want to be for spending nearly $2K.

Thanks!
 
with torque sensing there is no set speeds. In level one it just adds a little help to the pedal force and you can pedal at any speed from 1 mph up. They say torque but it does not seem to be connected. This is 5 level cruise control.
 
Thank you for the response. So what I think I hear you saying is that whatever sensor they are using it is still behaving like a cadence sensor. Bummer for me.
 
Here is how it works. the torque sensor is used as a switch. if the pedal is moving at all and you are in level 2, the bike goes at full acceleration to 10 mph(more or less). Once it gets there if you pedal harder the motor starts cutting out so you have a hard time going faster. If you pedal very slowly the motor cuts off. Impossible to ride at any but the preset speeds unless you use the throttle. Will let you know if I get the problem solved. Nice bike.
 
Not sure if the explanation was for mine or someone else’s benefit. Personally I know how cadence and torque sensors work. I have demoed a few models of each at several LBS. As a result I have absolutely less than no interest in purchasing an ebike with cadence sensor based PAS. I understand the appeal for people who really don’t want a bicycle they have to put any effort into pedaling. I want a bike that requires pedaling and provides some assistance based on my effort.

I called Velotric and the sales rep I spoke to (after consulting with their product specialists) insisted that the bikes they are currently shipping use a torque sensor and not a cadence sensor for the PAS. He said they would look into updating their website to indicate this on the specs and features.

I was hoping in this thread to have someone in the USA who received a Discover 1 in the past week or two confirm that their bike has a torque sensor as unfortunately my experience has been that there are plenty of salespeople will tell you what they think you want to hear to make a sale. The type of sensor used for the PAS is important to get a definitive answer on regardless of which type one prefers.
 
My wife and I test rode the Discover 1 in San Marcos, CA while we were visiting. It was and older model but I put it thru its paces. Handled great and coming to a stop in PAS 3 I just used the throttle around the corner to get started vs peddle then took over with the peddle and dropped down to assist 1. My wife had no problem as well with the peddle assist! Just ordered two, gray and silver, which I confirmed today come with 80mm lock out forks, 5 level PAS, hydraulic brakes, and black wall tires. $1,199 each with BUYTWO promo can't beat that! After reading some blogs packaging has changed and some assembly from the video they have on YouTube. Should not be that much different as there is just not that much on these bikes! These will be bike six and seven in the current stable of road and dirt bikes! Will let you all know how assembly goes when they get here! We will be riding the Rails to Trails projects in Oregon, High Cascade Lakes Hwy. and the trails in Sunriver OR.
 
Johnek wrote:
Impossible to ride at any but the preset speeds unless you use the throttle.

This has not been my experience. Let's suppose I put the controller at PAS 1. If I pedal at least 1 rev per second, the bike will immediately accelerate to about 8-9mph. It will maintain that speed until I pedal fast enough to exceed the 8-9mph. I can exceed that speed by pedaling/shifting as much as I want. It's just that the motor won't help me...just like a regular bike. However, johnek implied that the motor would inhibit me from doing so, which it does not. This can all be confirmed by watching the current draw on the display.

To summarize, the PAS level is a minimum if I crank at least 1 rev per second.
 
Well I thought I bought at the right time but yesterday they came out with a Black Friday promo with another $100 off per bike and another $50 off the BUYTWO promo/ I wrote customer care to see if they would credit me the new price! I have not heard back yet but will be interesting to see what they do! Did anyone hear back on what the red plastic tab was on the brakes? I have a question in on that as well to the help email address and have not heard back on that either!
 
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